Jeremy Corbyn will 'give way' on Indyref2 to get keys to Number 10, says SNP chief
2 min read
Jeremy Corbyn will "give way" and allow a second referendum on Scottish independence next year in order to become Prime Minister, a senior SNP chief has declared.
Ian Blackford, the party's leader at Westminster, said they would not even enter into discussions with the Labour boss unless he acceded to their request.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has said that giving the Scottish Parliament the right to hold so-called 'indyref2' in 2020 would be her price for propping up a Labour minority government in the event of a hung Parliament.
Appearing on Friday's night's Question Time leaders' debate, she said: "Jeremy Corbyn supports the right of self-determination of almost every other country in the world. I’m not sure he’s going to compromise the chance to have a Labour government for that issue.
"If Jeremy Corbyn wants the support of the SNP ... I would ask him to respect the right of the Scottish people to choose their own future and I don't think he'll turn his back on ending austerity to block that right."
The Labour leader said there would not be a second independence referendum "for the first two years at least" of a Labour government.
But appearing on Radio Four's Today programme on Saturday, Mr Blackford insisted Mr Corbyn would change his mind if it meant becoming Prime Minister.
He said: "If the people of Scotland send a very strong group of SNP MPs to Westminster, we will be the kingmakers.
"[Jeremy] will give way on this, he will recognise it's the right thing to do. We're cetainly not going to get into discussions on other matters until we resolve that matter.
"If he wants to be the Prime Minister of a minority administration, then he's going to have some give and take. And acceding to the democratic right of Scotland to have a referendum is a reasonable thing to do.
"It's a mandate that we won in 2016, it's right that we have a say in Scotland on our future. I don't think Jeremy Corbyn is going to find that a difficult thing to do."
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Corbyn’s Labour can’t win a majority, so his only chance of getting into power is to do a deal with Nicola Sturgeon's SNP. That would mean that 2020 would be lost to the chaos of another two referendums – one on Brexit and another on Scottish independence."
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